Crafted by expert distillers from start to finish, this Scotch sets itself apart from the rest. Balvenie focuses on using meticulous care and attention from a group of top distillers to produce some of the finest whisky on the market. The distillery has been producing top-quality whisky since 1962 and has built up a name for itself over time. Knappogue Castle 16 Year Old is an intriguing Irish whiskey with an ever-growing number of notes that seem to appear and disappear each time you sip it. This no-peat, triple-distilled malt whiskey comes aged in both bourbon and sherry barrels, ensuring a well-rounded, slightly sweet aroma and a creamy finish.

Whisky Review: Ballantine’s Finest Blended Scotch Whisky

An amber-gold whisky, the 14 Year has mainly malt-based flavors with a focus on oak, spice, and fruit. It’s another sophisticated drink from a brand determined to pave the way towards single malt domination. Glenmorangie Signet, first released in 2008, is the first single malt whisky to use high roast chocolate malt barley with a blend of Glenmorangie’s rarest whiskies matured in bespoke casks. It’s so special that each year, for an entire week, the distillery stops every other activity and dedicates itself to producing the chocolate malt barley for the Signet. Glenfiddich’s focus as a brand is on creating “the best dram in the valley,” so it’s easy to — rightly — assume that any bottle will be a crowd-pleaser. It’s also the world’s most awarded single malt, offering a range of bottles at a medium price point that’s easily accessible for all. The distillery offers one of the largest collections of whisky in the world, so take a look at our list of Johnnie Walker’s bottles to discover the entire range of whisky from the brand.

Ballantine’s Finest Scotch Whisky (1970’s) – Review

This Speyside whisky is another great choice from Balvenie’s offerings. It’s a classic after-dinner malt with a richness and complexity stemming from its second distillation in sherry casks. The is the oldest single malt from The Singleton to date, and the second and final bottling in The Singleton’s Paragon of Time Collection, a 54-year-old 1966 vintage single malt Scotch by the Dufftown distillery in the heart of Speyside. The collection is a masterful exploration of time itself. It showcases the brand’s skills and cares in successfully maturing whiskies over such a long period of time to develop real character and richness. In 1827, George Ballantine didn’t want to follow in his farming father’s footsteps so instead he opened a small grocery store in Edinburgh. It proved relatively successfully, and he gave control of the original store to his son in 1865 when he went to open a larger version in Glasgow. In was in this new store where he started focusing more heavily on the wine and spirits trade. As was common with Scottish whiskey merchants, he started creating his own house blends and roped his second son into helping with the new venture, dubbing it “George Ballantine and Son Ltd.” Which is neat, and I appreciate the extra touch… but since brown spirits don’t really need to be stored in any sort of air-tight fashion, it feels like a case of over-engineering for not much benefit. What’s really interesting to me is the cap. There’s a screw-on top here that’s common to other lower shelf whiskey, but it’s pretty complex. The thread pitch on the cap is shallower than you’d expect, meaning you’re going to be twisting it longer but it’s also going to seal more completely. There’s also a plastic gasket that fits into the top sealing the bottle better than usual.

Ballantine’s Finest Scotch Whisky | Malt - Whisky Reviews Ballantine’s Finest Scotch Whisky | Malt - Whisky Reviews

This award-winning blended Scotch whisky combines some of Scotland’s best flavors. It’s an affordable bottle that works well when enjoyed alone or with a few drops of water. Or, bring out the citrus notes by mixing with soda water.That impression is even stronger taking a sip, so strong that I actually needed to re-read the label to make sure I didn’t grab a bourbon instead. The vanilla and brown sugar flavors seem to be the biggest and boldest in the room, giving it an immediate sweet and delicious flavor that you’d expect from something American rather than something from the old country. As that flavor fades a bit, you can see some of the more traditional blended whisky notes making an appearance, specifically some peat smoke on the finish that lasts into the aftertaste. We’ve compiled a list of our 15 favorite brands for drinking on every occasion. Looking for the best budget whisky, the best single malt whisky, or the once-in-a-lifetime must-try whisky? You’ll find them all in our guide below. The Glenlivet distillery in Moray, Scotland has been producing whisky since 1824, so it’s safe to say that the distillery knows what it’s doing. And its 12 Year is widely known as one of the most popular whisky in the world. Despite being produced in Scotland, it remains known as the best-selling malt whisky in the United States.